Mckinney's, Army's Best Interests Properly Served By Court-martial

September 24, 1997

If the United States Army hopes to regain its credibility on the issue of sexual harassment, it should promptly accept the recommendation of a hearing officer and court-martial its highest-ranking enlisted man.

Col. Robert Jarvis, who presided over a two-month-long preliminary hearing into Sgt. Major of the Army Gene McKinney's alleged misdeeds, is reported to have urged that McKinney be tried by a military tribunal on 22 charges of indecent assault, adultery and obstruction of justice.

Jarvis recommended that three of the original charges brought against McKinney by six current or former servicewomen should be dropped, but he suggested that three charges of perjury should be added to the indictment.

The officer's report indicated he found reason to believe the accounts of the women who accused McKinney of pressuring them for sex.

If the Army decides to court-martial McKinney, it will face the prospect of an embarrassing and protracted process that can only prolong the ordeal of sexual-misconduct allegations that already has lasted for months.

McKinney's case promises to be the most sensational of all, because his civilian attorney has threatened to reveal information about the sexual offenses of other senior Army officers if McKinney is to be court-martialed.

The Army should not allow itself to be intimidated by such a threat. Indeed, it should welcome any information Charles Gittins has to offer, because the lid of secrecy has been kept on this scandal for far too long.

McKinney has denied any misconduct and has attempted to portray himself as the victim of a racist conspiracy because he is black and his accusers are white. But a court-martial is the proper forum in which to elicit all the facts and allow him to defend himself against the charges.

The Army needs to weed out the sexual predators in its ranks, regardless of their race or gender. A public court-martial of McKinney would signify real progress toward that worthwhile objective.